


More Than Anyone

by interestedbystander



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-19
Updated: 2020-04-19
Packaged: 2021-03-02 00:55:18
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23726422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/interestedbystander/pseuds/interestedbystander
Summary: Bucky loves Valentine’s. You don’t. But you will rectify this!
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 3
Kudos: 44





	More Than Anyone

“If I had my way,” Bucky told Steve as he raided his best friend’s pantry, looking for anything to munch on and Steve was perched on a stool at the bench watching Bucky search for whatever he was looking for, then he repeated, “If I had my way, I’d make Valentine’s Day a _huge deal_. I mean, it’s our first V-Day together… but she’s just not that woman into romance and teddy bears and love hearts.”

“Wow,” Steve sighed as Bucky retrieved some cereal, milk and took the seat beside him. “Who doesn’t like Valentine’s Day?”

“My girlfriend! Apparently,” Bucky exclaimed. “Now I know I’m not the cuddliest motherfucker in the world and my reputation certainly doesn’t insinuate that I should be… But I also know that if I had my chance, I’d like to, you know… have a pleasant day together.”

Steve gave his friend a fond smile. “I swear, you just took me back to Bucky of 1942.”

“Bucky of ‘42 wouldn’t have had a girlfriend,” Bucky corrected with a wide, bright-eyed grin, standing up to snag a bowl and spoon from Steve’s dish drainer. “But he’d had plenty of acquaintances to fight over him for the day.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “Nope, _that_ was Bucky of ‘42.”

Sighing, Bucky poured himself some cereal and sat beside his best friend. “I mean, I guess it’s okay. I’ll still buy her some chocolates, you know. Like, a Snickers bar or something and not make such a big deal of it,” Bucky shrugged, force-feeding himself a gigantic mouthful of food on the precariously spoon. “It’ll be fine.”

* * *

“And he kept saying ‘fine’ and it just seemed a little…” Steve squinted, looking for the word as he watched you watch him over the laptop screen at your desk.

“Contrived?” you suggested.

“Yah,” Steve agreed. “You could say that.”

“Look, Steve,” you sighed softly. “I know you’re super keen on seeing Bucky happy 24/7. And so am I, trust me,” you laced your fingers across the desk. “He’s the love of my life. I just don’t see why anyone want to make a big deal out of one day when I love him every day, you know?”

Steve nodded. “I understand that. I just want you to both have the best day.”

“And we will – once I’m home from work, have taken my heels off and gotten into my sweats. He suggested pizza on the couch with wine and Netflix. It sounds pretty incredible to me.”

Why was your anxiety suddenly gripping you like never before? You and Bucky had agreed… _chilled_ , just like any other day, yet here is Steve telling you this is exactly what Bucky doesn’t want for your Valentine’s Day together – it stung that Bucky didn’t discuss this with you but it didn’t strike you that Bucky had asked Steve to do his bidding for him. He had come on his own volition. “Steve, if this is what Bucky wants, why can’t he tell me?”

“Because he doesn’t want to disappoint you,” Steve said simply. “He’s great at hiding his emotions.”

You groaned, putting your head in your hands. “Steve… man, come on! You’re killing me!”

“I know, I should have kept my trap closed,” Steve admitted. “But I just thought since Bucky couldn’t bring this up… I’d step in.”

You looked up through your fingers. “You’re a good friend, Steve,” you told him. “I just wish he could have told me.”

“I understand. Look, I’ll go,” Steve moved to stand. “I know that I’ve overwhelmed you and for that, I apologise. I said too much.”

“It’s okay, I know you’re just looking out for him. I appreciate the chat,” you joined him and stood, moving around the desk to give him a slightly obscure hug that he returned just as oddly. “Thanks, Steve.”

“Have a good day,” he gave you one of his genuine patented Captain America smiles and took his leave as you flopped back in your desk chair, miserably.

“Fuck,” you muttered to yourself, flustered. “Now what do I do?”

* * *

**T-minus 5 Days to D(V)-Day**

You’d had the least productive day in your work life, but you’d made an executive decision: James Buchanan Barnes was going to have the most romantic fucking Valentine’s Day of his entire 101 years on the planet, whether he like it or not.

Your checklist as followed, the strikethroughs completed:

  1. ~~Get the day off work to prepare for what was the single most overrated holiday on the calendar  
~~
  2. Buy lingerie – slutty or sophisticated? Was there a difference? Price.
  3. Buy champagne and the aged whiskey he loved – ask Steve where to get it
  4. ~~Question why so much money had to be spent on a single day that wasn’t a religious holiday or birthday  
~~
  5. Find recipes for dinner and dessert – could sex count as dessert? Yes. Make a scrumptious dinner that didn’t make Bucky ill. Could he still get food poisoning? Fuck it. Order pizza from his favourite parlour in Brooklyn
  6. Buy him exquisite Belgium chocolates because he was a sweet tooth and loved the good stuff
  7. Remember that it’s about him feeling loved, cherished and adored.



You could do this for him, for everyday he does the same thing for you.

The list had been chopped and changed many times through the day but you think you’d settled on it now. At 5pm you jumped from your desk chair, anxious to get that little number from Victoria’s Secret that actually piqued your interest more than it probably should have… and you hoped it would his as well.

* * *

**T-minus 1 Day to D(V)-Day**

“So yeah, I’m leaving in about 15 minutes,” Bucky sighed, sitting on the edge of your desk, clothed head to toe in his tac gear.

“Shit,” you replied, slouching in your chair. “That sucks. Do you know where you’re going?”

“Motherland,” he rolled his eyes. “There is always one more HYDRA motherfucker looking to get gutted. I’ll take it upon myself that it’s on my knife though.” You could’t hold back the blanche that graced your features. Bucky blushed, realising his comment was a bit too vivid for his civilian girlfriend. “Sorry, that was a bit much.”

“Little bit,” you agreed.

“Well, I should go. Just wanted to say a proper goodbye instead of a text,” he admitted as you stood up and pushed yourself in between his strong thighs and he sighed, brushing some hair from your eyes. “I’ll miss you.”

“Be safe,” you instructed. “I don’t want Steve coming back and saying you are MIA or DOA or some other stupid abbrivation like that. That can really mess a girl up,” you tried to make a light joke. At least Bucky smiled. “You know?” you added softly.

“Gonna take a bit more to bring me home in a body bag, sweetheart. These HYDRA guys? Repeated fuckin’ failures,” he boasted.

“Bucky,” you said quietly, not seeing the funny side.

“Okay, okay. I’m sorry,” he pulled you into his arms and kissed your hair. “I’ll be home as soon as I can. FRIDAY will alert you if need be, but you won’t hear from her. I’ll be safe, I’ll clean house and be home before you even start to miss me.”

“Doubt that, I miss you already,” you pouted pathetically.

“Oh, you big softy,” he teased. “Lay some sugar on me, darlin’. Then I gotta go.”

Your lips touched his and he gently moaned against your mouth, lips tenderly massaging the others before he slicked your lips with his tongue and his tongue tenderly melded with yours but not before his phone starting pinging. Grunting against your mouth, Bucky pulled away to check his phone.

“It’s Steve, you should go,” you pushed him to arms length. “Be safe.”

“I will. I love you,” he said, backing away.

“I love you too,” he clutched his heart playfully and gave you a wink, before turning heel and disappearing.

* * *

So, Valentine’s Day came and went and Bucky hadn’t returned. You were grossly prepared to romance the shit out of him and he didn’t get back. So, that was a bummer, you realised. But the good news was you hadn’t heard a sound from FRIDAY so you weren’t in utter dire straits yet.

But it still sucked having Bucky away. God, you missed him.

But, as you kept reminding yourself, _no FRIDAY, no problems_.

Until her fucking voice interrupted your inability to sleep a few night’s later. “Ma’am, just updating you: the Quinjet will be arriving in a few minutes if you wished to meet Sergeant Barnes in the landing bay.”

You up were up before FRIDAY could finish her announcement, tossing on Bucky’s excessively-worn red Henley (that admittedly he hated and had tried to throw out on a number of occasions only for you to retrieve it again and again) over your head and moving through the building to the elevators as quickly as you could, barefoot and lacking modesty.

By the time you arrived, the team were trudging off the Quintet and unloading their gear, Bucky not noticing as he was pushing his vest from his shoulders and putting it over his arm as you launched into him. He grunted and a giggle bubbled from his lips as your arms fastened to his neck and legs ended up around his waist. He was actually impressed at the agility shown.

“Hey, you,” he said, helping you stay upright. “Whatta welcome!”

“I missed you,” you kissed him forcefully as he laughed against your lips.

“How do I get a hello like that?” Sam teased, wandering past.

“Put a lid on it, birdbrain,” Bucky snapped in reply and Sam cackled loudly, continuing on his way. “I have to debrief before I come to bed,” Bucky whispered apologetically.

“Can’t you do it after a sleep in tomorrow?” you begged.

“No, babydoll. I gotta do the right thing,” he said gently. “But as soon as I’m done, we’ll catch right up, okay?”

Groaning, you slinked down his body until your feet were firmly back on the ground. “Okay. But hurry, right?”

“Of course,” he said, his blue eyes crinkled. “After this greeting, think I’m going to dally? Hell fuckin’ no!”

You gave a bashful grin. “Okay. Well, I’ll see you soon then.”

“Absofuckinloutely,” he gave you a quick once over, before licking his lips. “Go before you get me in trouble.”

* * *

Okay… it’s 4:34am. Bucky probably hadn’t slept in days, and here you were, in some cheeky lingerie hoping the candles illuminated you in the just the right way, the champagne that had been chilling in the fridge begging to be popped and the leftover strawberries and cream you’d brought for your dessert the night before plated and the damn chocolates he loved all place in a spread.

It wasn’t what you planned, but here it was. _Go time_ , you said, lazing on the bed. Give this man the Valentine’s Day of his dreams… kinda.

Knocking gently, Bucky poked his head in, eyes widening in surprise as he took in the scene before him. “What is goin’ on in here?” he moved into the door, easing back against the door, chewing his lower lip, amused.

“This is your very belated Valentine’s pre-breakfast…” you stumbled over the words. Sighing, you sat up. “Okay, maybe I should have thought this through. This is a bad idea. I know you’re exhausted, and need a shower and a few days of sleep,” you moved yourself into a cross-legged Indian pose, suddenly very embarrassed.

“This is for Valentine’s?” Bucky gave a small grin. “But you hate Valentine’s Day,” he enjoyed taunting you.

“Well, I felt bad that you wanted to celebrate and I was an asshole about it,” you pulled a pillow over your chest and snuggled into it, feeling very silly that you put all this together when he just needed time to R&R.

“Well, yeah,” he pushed himself away from the door and came to inspect the spread on the bedside table, picking up a glass of champagne and handing it to you. “I think you need this.”

You would have preferred if he handed you the bottle, you realised as he took the other glass and raised it to you, before grabbing the pillow that hid you from him. “What are you doing?”

“Making a toast to you, sweetheart. For giving me the most unexpected Valentine’s Day. Lookin’ so fucking sexy, the candles, the champagne. My favourite chocolates and that cream that I’m going to lick off you. This is a wonderful surprise and I just wanna say thank you.”

Bashfully, you put your head in your hands. Leave it to Bucky to say the right thing when you just wanted the bed to swallow you whole. “Really?” you asked timidly.

“Of course!” he exclaimed. “I still would have been happy with pizza on the couch but this is pretty amazing too,” he smiled, cupping your chin in his calloused palm. “I’m stunned. This is great.”

“Well, yay,” you said softly as he laughed quietly and he took a seat on the bed as close to you as possible and kissed you tenderly.

“Happy Valentine’s, dollface. I love you,” he kissed you again and you may have swooned a little. Not that it surprised you anymore, this gentleman made you feel things you never dreamed of and he was all yours.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Bucky. I love you too.”


End file.
